Unit 8: Let’s enjoy fables
Lesson plan for Grade 4 Term 2 Weeks 5&6
Name of Unit: Let’s enjoy fables
Grade 4: Term 2: Week 5 and 6
Time: 2 weeks (12 hours)
Subject: English Home Language
Summary of the unit
This unit focuses on fables. Fables are an important part of a learner’s reading cycle because
they teach morals and lessons. Whatever the lesson the fable teaches, it helps one go about
one’s life in a better, more productive manner. In this unit, the learners will either read or listen
to three well-known fables, participate in discussions about them and justify their opinions
about them. They will also write their own fable. They will tackle aspects of language that fit in
well with this topic such as idioms and proverbs, regular and irregular verbs, finite, infinite and
stative verbs, subject-verb agreement and past tense.
Curriculum reference
Curriculum Standards (CAPS) Grade 4 English Home Language Term 2 Weeks 5&6
Skill
Listening & Speaking
(2 hours)
CAPS requirements
Listens to and discusses a fable/ myth/legend
Introductory activities: prediction,
distinguishes between realistic and unrealistic
events
Listening and
Speaking:
Belling the Cat
Participates in discussions, justifying own
opinion
Identifies the central idea, plot, setting, and
characters
Responds sensitively to ideas and suggestions,
Gives feedback
Listening and
speaking:
Town mouse
and country
mouse
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Reading & Viewing
Pre-reading: predicts from title and pictures
(5 hours 30 minutes) Includes
integrated time with Language • Uses reading strategies: skimming and
scanning
Read a fable:
Hare and
Hyena
• Identifies and comments on the plot, setting
and characters
• Gives reasons for actions of characters
• Understands the vocabulary
• Identifies main and supporting ideas
Writing
(4 hours) includes integrated
time with Language
Language Structure &
Conventions
(1 hour plus integrated time
with other skills)
• Identifies and discusses values in the text
Writes a fable/ myth/legend
Uses animals as characters
Write a fable
Selects appropriate content for the topic;
uses the story structure as a frame; uses
topic and supporting sentences to develop
coherent paragraphs; links paragraphs using
connecting words and phrases; uses a variety
of vocabulary; uses appropriate grammar,
spelling, punctuation and spaces between
paragraphs; uses the dictionary to check
spelling and meanings of words; uses the
writing process; brainstorms ideas using
mind maps; produces first draft; edits, revises,
proofreads then writes final draft
Word level work: regular and irregular verbs,
finite and infinite verbs, stative verbs
Regular and
irregular verbs
Sentence level work: subject-verb
agreement, past tense
Word meaning: idioms and proverbs
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Educator preparation for the whole unit before starting
1. Read through the activities in this unit and familiarise yourself with them and what resources
they require so that you can be totally prepared before the unit begins.
2. Identify some of the necessary vocabulary for this story unit and write the words on to
wordlists. Constantly revise the vocabulary and ensure that the learners’ understanding of the
terminology is consolidated. Try to include two spelling tests over the two week period.
3. Note that this unit does not include any reading activities based on the Graded Readers used
by the class or the Grade 4 Home Language Reader used by the class.
4. Note who might need remediation and extension and plan accordingly by finding relevant
activities for students who come to your notice.
5. Look up the website http://www.africanstorybook.org//find which is a wonderful, free, South
African website where your learners can read beautifully illustrated stories as well as locate art
for stories they are able to write on the website itself.
Resources
Learner activities for this unit – storybook collections, dictionaries, access to the website http://
www.africanstorybook.org/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schoolradio/subjects/english/aesops_fables/33-40/belling_the_cat (Audio
version) ; http://www.africanstorybook.org/asp/book/read/8179 ;
Belling the Cat audio
Hare and Hyena
Town Mouse and Country
Mouse
Assessment
Informal Assessment
Assessment in Unit 8 is an informal and baseline assessment where the educator keeps a record of
the learners’ general progress in acquiring the prescribed listening and speaking, reading, writing
and language structure and convention skills. Choose your own form of informal assessment. Note
the marking memo guide for the activities under the relevant activities for each skill. The rating
scale below could be used.
Formal Assessment
Use the following scale for recording and reporting assessment in the Intermediate Phase. There is
no formal assessment in this unit.
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Rating code
Description of competence
7
Outstanding achievement
6
Meritorious achievement
5
Substantial achievement
4
Adequate achievement
3
Moderate achievement
2
Elementary achievement
1
Not achieved
Learning Activities and how to teach them
The fables in this unit are mainly Aesop’s fables which are a collection of fables believed to have
been written by the Greek storyteller, Aesop. Aesop lived over 2000 years ago and his many fables
are known throughout the world. The main characters in these stories are animals that teach us
a moral lesson. The African Storybook Project collection also has fables, one of which is included in
this unit.
Listening and Speaking: Let’s enjoy fables
Place the learners in pairs and let them discuss the pictures on the page. Do they recognise the
fables? Do they recognise any fables from the pictures? The first is the well-known story of the hare
and the tortoise having a race, with the tortoise winning. The second is about the sun and wind
disputing about who is stronger and competing to make a man take off his jacket. The learners
discuss the following questions:
• What is a fable? (A fable is a short fictitious story, typically with animals as characters,
conveying a moral.)
• What can I learn from a fable? (We learn lessons about good values and good character
traits.)
• What does it mean when it says, “The moral of the story…” (It means that the lesson that this
story teaches us that can improve our lives is…)
Listening and Speaking: Belling the Cat
The first fable written by the acclaimed Aesop is ‘Belling the Cat’. This is a listening skill where the
learners can talk about the pictures beforehand, but they don’t read the story the first time around.
The educator reads to the class. In this fable a family of mice is living in fear of a cat that hunts
them daily. They decide to try and think of a plan to help their situation. After some time, one of
the younger mice comes up with the brilliant idea of tying a bell around the cat’s neck so they can
hear it approach. A wise old mouse points out that the problem is “who will be the one to bell the
cat?” The lesson learned is that ideas are essential to solving problems, but even more essential is
knowing how to execute the idea.
Listen
Before you start reading the text, show the learners the pictures and ask them if they can predict
what the story is about. Read the title of the story. Ask some questions about what they think the
story is about.
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After listening
After you have read the story place the learners in groups and let them discuss the story and the
questions. Go through the answers with the learners.
Suggested answers
1. A fable usually contains a moral. Which moral do you think this fable teaches?
Easier said than done.
2. Do you think the mice should follow through with their plan or should they do something else? Learners’ own answers.
3. Can you think of an example from your own life that illustrates this moral? Learners’ own answers.
4. Act out this fable with your group. (Encourage groups to decide on characters and do spontaneous acting).
Write a point of view
This activity gives a good opportunity for the learners to write a point of view and try to see the situation from the cat’s perspective. Let them work in pairs to complete this. Ask them to justify the cat’s
position with at least three reasons.
CRITERIA
MARKS
The cat’s position is stated
At least three reasons are provided to justify this position
A suitable conclusion is given
2
6
2
TOTAL 10 marks
Speaking: Let’s think about problems to solve
In this part of the activity, the learners will be applying the moral of the story from Belling the Cat,
namely ‘easier said than done’. They will work in a group following the instructions. There is no
assessment for this, but as you walk around, note the participation of the learners. Let the groups
share their findings at the end of the discussion.
Language structure and conventions: Regular and irregular verbs
This activity focuses on regular and irregular verbs. The information on these types of verbs is
provided in the activity.
Suggested answers
1. Change these verbs to the past tense and then circle the ones that are irregular verbs
a) learned
f ) stretched
b) served
g) shouted
c) ate
h) drove
d) married
i) slept
e) ran
j) created
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2. Read this fable and rewrite it in the past tense. Circle the irregular verbs. What is the moral of the story?
The cat discovered many mice in the house that night. She began to catch and eat them, one by
one. The mice were nervous. They feared for their lives. They huddled together in their holes. The
cat decided to trick them to come out because she was very hungry. She hung on to a light that
hung from the roof and pretended to be dead. One mouse peeped out and saw her hanging there
as though she was dead. The mouse said, “Dear cat, although you looked as though you were dead
we would not come near you.”
The moral of the story is that one should keep away from known danger.
3. Past tense
a) Trembled, saw
b) Smiled, licked
c) Ran, shook
Assessment (Informal Baseline Assessment)
Assessment is an informal baseline assessment. These exercises are to reinforce the learners’
understanding of language. They can be marked orally and can be self-assessed.
Reading and viewing: Read a fable: Hare and Hyena
Before reading, the learners talk about personification (when non-human characters or objects
take on human characteristics) and they skim through the story and pictures, predicting what the
fable will be about.
Suggested answers
1. What is the main idea in this fable?
The hare and the hyena were at loggerheads over payment for work. (2)
2. How would you describe the moral of this fable?
When you are given a job keep to your side of the agreement. (2)
3. What is the setting and who are the characters in this fable?
Setting: Hare’s farm: Characters: Hare, Hyena (3)
4. Can you retell the plot of this story in 5 sentences?
Learners’ own answers. (5)
5. Think of a time when you made a promise but it was hard to keep. Did you keep the promise? Write a paragraph about it.
Learners’ own answers. (5)
6. Do you think Hyena’s solution to the problem was the right one? Give a reason for your answer. Learners’ own answers. (2)
7. What type of foodstuff did Hare like eating in this story?
Nuts (1)
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Assessment (Informal Baseline Assessment)
Assessment is informal baseline assessment. The learners’ work can be taken and individually
assessed, or the answers can be discussed orally and self-assessed.
Language activities: Idioms and Proverbs
Refer to the actual worksheets which explains the differences between idioms and proverbs.
Suggested answers for idioms
1. Match these idioms to their meanings and write them out correctly.
Icing on the cake
It was better than expected
Go for it
Do it
Fixed in his ways
Some things never change
Add fuel to the fire
To make matters worse
Go out on a limb
To take a chance
Gut feeling
A strong feeling
(12 marks)
2. Fill the correct idioms into the sentences.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Go out on a limb
Go for it
Icing on the cake
Fixed in his ways
Gut feeling
f) Add fuel to the fire (6 marks)
Suggested answers for Proverb
1. Match these proverbs to their meanings. Write them out correctly.
Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth
Don’t turn down a really good opportunity
Curiosity killed the cat
Don’t ask questions about things that are not your
business
All good things come to an end
A fun experience will eventually end
Better late than never
It is better to do something late than not to do it at
all
If the cap fits wear it
Practice makes perfect
If what is said about you is true then accept it
The more you do something the better you’ll
become at it
(12 marks)
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2. Proverbs dealing with animals. Note that in the original activity more answers than necessary were deliberately supplied.
a) You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink.
b) Let sleeping dogs lie.
c) The early bird catches the worm.
d) When the cat’s away the mice will play
e) A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
f ) A leopard can’t change its spots.
g) There are plenty of fish in the sea
h) Don’t count your chickens before they are hatched
i) Barking dogs seldom bite
j) Birds of a feather flock together.
(10 marks)
TOTAL MARKS: 40 marks
Assessment (Informal Baseline Assessment)
These exercises are to reinforce concepts. The answers can be discussed orally and self-assessed.
Listening and Speaking: The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse
This is a listening skill where the learners can talk about the pictures beforehand, but they
don’t read the story the first time around. The educator reads to the class. In this fable, a proud
town mouse visits her cousin in the country. The country mouse offers the city mouse a meal
of simple country food at which the town mouse scoffs. She invites the country mouse back to
the city for a taste of the “fine life” and the two cousins dine like kings. But their delicious feast is
interrupted by dogs which force the cousins to abandon their meal and scurry to safety. After this,
the country mouse decides to return home, preferring security to wealth.
Before reading
Show the learners the pictures and ask them if they can predict what the story is about, before you
read the text. Read the title of the story. Ask some questions about what they think the story is
about.
After listening
After you have read the story, place the learners in pairs and let them discuss the story and the
questions. Go through the answers with the learners.
Suggested answers for paired work:
1. Who are the characters in this fable?
Town Mouse, Country Mouse, dogs
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2. Summarise the story in five sentences to your partner.
Learners’ own answers.
3. A fable usually contains a moral. Which moral do you think this fable teaches?
Words to this effect: Rather have security and peace of mind than riches and fear.
4. Can you think of an example from your own life that illustrates this moral?
Learners’ own answers.
5. What was the conclusion in this story?
The country mouse left immediately saying she preferred simple food and a more peaceful life.
Suggested answers for individual work:
1. Write three words from the story that are new to you. Look them up in your dictionary and write their meanings.(3)
Learners’ own answers.
2. Who do you think had the happier life – Town use or Country Mouse. Give a reason for your answer. (5)
Learners’ own answers.
3. Write the plot of the fable in five sentences. (5)
Learners’ own answers.
4. What is the problem in the story and how is it resolved. (5)
The town mouse wanted to prove her way of life was better
5. What conclusion was reached? (2)
The town mouse left because city life was too dangerous.
6. What is the moral of the story? (5)
Learners’ own answers. Words to the effect of ‘Live and eat simply in peace rather than live and eat luxuriously in fear.
Suggested answers for ‘Work with vocabulary words’
The learners find five more words in the fable that are new or interesting and write them out with
their meanings using their dictionaries. (5)
(TOTAL = 30 marks)
Assessment (Informal Baseline Assessment)
These exercises are to reinforce concepts. The answers can be discussed orally and self-assessed or
you can assess the work yourself.
Writing: Write a fable
In this section we want to show the writing process. We want the learners to see that writing has
several stages to it.
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1. Discuss the elements of a fable as shown below
The learners use the two listening skill texts and see if they fit into the structure of a fable. This activity is given so that the learners become aware of the structure of a fable.
Belling the Cat
End
Middle
Beginning
Setting
Mouse hole
Town Mouse
Country and city
Introduce characters, often a ‘good
The mice (good guys)
guy’ and ‘a bad guy’. Are often animals and the cat (bad guy)
that act like people
Country Mouse
(good guy) and City
Mouse (bad guy)
Event
The mice are fearful of
the cat
The City Mouse
doesn’t like country
life
A problem occurs
Noone is brave
The dogs upset the
enough to put the bell fine dining in the
around the cat’s neck city
Dialogue between the characters
The cat and the mice
have dialogue
A sequence of events in the story
Learners’ own answers Learners’ own
answers
Conclusion is reached
Nobody puts the bell
on the cat
The Country Mouse
leaves in a hurry
Moral
Easier said than done
Better to live and
eat simply in peace
than in luxury with
fear
The two mice have
dialogue
(5 marks each = 40 marks. This is divided by four to give a total of 10)
2. Discuss these morals with a partner
Learners’ own answers. The purpose of this activity is to present some morals that the learners
might like to use in their fable.
3. The learners plan their fable using the storyboard
Let the learners start off with a mind map where they write down all their ideas in a spider diagram
using the headings below. They then rewrite them into a storyboard as shown below.
Choose a moral
Choose a setting
Plan your characters – give them
definite characteristics
Decide on an opening event
Introduce a problem and decide What is the sequence of events
how it is going to be resolved
leading to the conclusion?
(5 marks each = 30 marks)
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4. The learners write their fable using the rubric below to guide them and they follow the writing process.
The story has a title
5
Use of personified animals ( a ‘bad guy’ and a ‘good guy’) who use
dialogue
5
A clear setting is identified
5
An event is decided on for the fable. It is organised into a series of actions 5
A problem is introduced into the event
5
A resolution of the event is reached as a conclusion
5
The moral is obvious
5
The writing process is followed
5
TOTAL 40
GRAND TOTAL = 100 MARKS
Assessment (Informal Baseline Assessment)
Assessment is informal baseline assessment. The learners’ work should be taken in and assessed individually.
Language structures and conventions:
1. Finite and infinite verbs
Note the rules
Finite verb:
A finite verb changes according to whether the subject is singular or plural.
For example: The dog walks. The dogs walk.
A finite verb changes according to the tense of the sentence.
For example: The dog walks (present tense) The dog walked (past tense)
Infinite verbs
An infinite verb doesn’t change according to whether the subject is singular or plural. It often ends
with ‘ing’ or is preceded by ‘to’.
For example: The dog is walking. The dogs are walking.
An infinite verb doesn’t change according to the tense of the sentence.
For example: The dogs are walking (present tense). The dogs were walking (past tense)
Suggested answers for finite and infinite verbs:
Underline the verbs in these sentences. Decide if the verbs are finite or infinite.
a) He walks to work every day. finite
b) She was running down the road. finite
c) He spoke Afrikaans when he stayed with his granny. finite
d) Leaving home for the first time can be very traumatic. infinite
e) She was watching television when the phone rang. finite
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2. Language structures and conventions: Subject-verb agreement
Suggested answers:
A fisherman (gets) up early to go fishing. After fishing all day, he (was) hungry. Suddenly he felt a
fish (bite) his line. It (was) a little fish. The little fish (was) scared. He (tried) to trick the fisherman. He
(asked) the fisherman to put him back in the river to grow bigger. He (said) the fisherman could
catch him again when he (was) bigger. The fisherman (said) he had him now and he might not
catch him again.
3. Stative verbs
Put the verb in these sentences into the correct form. Use either the present simple or the present
continuous, depending on whether they are stative verbs or not.
1. Do not make a noise because he is studying.
2. She loves eating at her granny’s house.
3. I think that it is a hot day today.
4. The river is flowing very fast today.
5. I smell cakes baking.
6. He is in Cape Town. He is staying with friends.
7. He is a plumber but he isn’t working at the moment.
Language: It’s time for revision
This last page provides extra activities to consolidate what the learners have learned in this unit.
1. Change these verbs to the past tense and then circle the ones that are irregular verbs:
a) brought
f) swam
b) moved
g) grew
c) practised
h) shouted
d) listened
i) taught
j) visited
e) came
(10 marks)
2. Rewrite these sentences in the past tense:
1. The cat jumped up to the light and hung from it.
2. The baby mouse began to cry and ran to his family.
3. The boy walked into the room and brought the cat food.
4. The cat forgot about the mice and ate the food.
5. The mice stood very still and watched the cat.
(10 marks)
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3. Put the verb in these sentences into the correct form. Use either the present simple or the present continuous depending on whether they are stative verbs or not.
a) She is staying with her sister at the moment, until she finds somewhere else to live.
b) He has been ill but he is getting better slowly.
c) This year we are growing our own vegetables.
d) What is that sound I am hearing?
e) I usually enjoy birthday parties but I am not enjoying this one very much.
(10 marks)
4. Underline the verbs in these sentences. Decide if the verbs are finite or infinite.
a) Tim gave the man a suspicious look. finite
b) She was gardening in the back garden. infinite
c) I wanted to buy some new clothes. infinite
d) He was wearing a torn shirt. infinite
e) He walked to school this morning. finite
(10 marks)
TOTAL MARKS: 40 marks
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